Why the trees at the Jack Daniel distillery look like they've been blow-torched

Located in the quaint town of Lynchburg, Tenn., the historic Jack Daniel
distillery maintains a campsite feel while pumping
out 119 million bottles of whiskey a year.

On a recent walking tour of the scenic facility, I couldn't help
but notice the trees looked like they had their bark
blow-torched.

The bark was extremely black and gave the trees a dramatic
appearance. That's because they have been tainted by Baudoinia
compniacensis — a unique whiskey fungus, found near
distilleries.

This fungus attaches to warehouses and walkways at the
150-year-old distillery. Larry Combs, Jack Daniel
General Manager, said thefungus has been cleaned
off a few of the buildings at the distillery for cosmetic
purposes.Here is a sign posted in
front of a tree at the distillery.Tom
Howder

"The funny thing about distilleries, especially old
ones like Jack Daniel, they are where they are because of the
water supply. You'll find these microorganisms near the water and
so the mold just comes with the setting," Combs told Business
Insider.

This particular type of black fungus is common near
distilleries because it uses ethanol as a source of energy
for growth.

During the whiskey maturation process, at least 2% of
whiskey escapes from a barrel as ethanol vapor — perfect
for Baudoinia to thrive.

The mold doesn't seem to bother the locals,
Combs said.

"We really don't get any complaints about the mold. Every once in
a while we will get someone to call in but more often than not
people are just curious," Combs said. This tree looked like it
had been scorched but it was just covered in
fungus.Amanda Macias/Business
Insider